Jonah Kagen Returns to Australia with New Music and a Bigger Story to Tell

Written by: Geoff Trio
Category: Music
Published: November 5, 2026

The music of Jonah Kagen that feels connected to the road.

Perhaps it's the way his songs move between quiet reflection and powerful, guitar-driven arrangements, or the sense that the stories he's telling have been shaped by the places he's been and the people he's met along the way.

Whatever it is, the American singer-songwriter has found an audience well beyond his hometown of Savannah, Georgia, and in April 2027 he'll return to Australia for a run of headline shows, along with his first performances in New Zealand.

Kagen made his first visit to Australia in 2025 as special guest on Sam Barber's Restless Mind World Tour, introducing local audiences to his distinctive blend of Americana, folk, alternative rock and deeply personal songwriting. This time, he's returning with a new album, Eternity of Anything, and a growing reputation as one of the more interesting young artists working across the boundaries of contemporary roots music.

The tour begins at Auckland's Powerstation on 9 April before crossing the Tasman for shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle. Along the way, Kagen will reunite with Sam Barber for Howlin' Presents... at Newcastle Foreshore on 11 April, sharing the bill with Josiah and the Bonnevilles, before joining the Country Fest Queensland line-up in Townsville on 17 April alongside Barber, Brad Cox, Hayley Jensen and Lane Pittman.

For those who discovered Kagen through his earlier recordings, the new material represents another step in a musical journey that has developed quickly but has always been grounded in a love of the guitar and a good story.

Growing up in Savannah, Kagen found inspiration in songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt and Jason Isbell, artists who understand that the strength of a song often lies in its honesty rather than its complexity. He also developed a fascination with the intricate fingerstyle playing of guitarist Andy McKee, an influence that can still be heard in the rhythmic, expressive guitar work that has become an important part of his sound.

That combination of thoughtful songwriting and adventurous musicianship has helped Kagen build a following that stretches well beyond traditional folk and Americana audiences. His breakout single ‘God Needs the Devil’ reached number one at US Alternative Radio, while his catalogue has now passed 500 million global streams.

His 2025 debut album, Sunflowers and Leather, was an interesting introduction to the way Kagen approaches making music. Rather than settling into a conventional studio routine, he spent a year travelling across America in a rebuilt Airstream trailer that doubled as a recording space, writing and recording songs as the journey unfolded.

The resulting 16-track album became something of a musical travel diary, capturing the changing landscapes, unexpected encounters and personal experiences that came with life on the road. It also featured a collaboration with Sam Barber, a connection that has continued through touring and will bring the pair together again in Australia next April.

There's a certain romance to the idea of travelling with your own recording studio, but it also says something about Kagen's approach to songwriting. For him, music appears to be closely tied to experience, with songs developing out of the moments and emotions that come from living rather than simply sitting down to write.

The album helped establish his reputation internationally, reaching number three on Spotify's Top Albums chart and earning attention from publications including Rolling Stone, American Songwriter and People. In 2026, ‘God Needs the Devil’ achieved Gold certification in the United States, while Kagen took the music on a sold-out 32-date Sunflowers & Leather Tour.

He also found himself performing alongside Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge, one of America's most celebrated outdoor concert venues, before joining Dermot Kennedy for an extensive North American tour.

His second album, Eternity of Anything, takes a different approach. Where Sunflowers and Leather was shaped by travel and the world around him, the new record turns its attention inward, exploring love, relationships and the complicated emotions that come with trying to understand both ourselves and the people closest to us.

Released through Sony Music, the album also marks a significant change in the way Kagen works in the studio. This time, he took almost complete control of the recording process, writing, producing, recording, engineering and mixing the project himself.

Working largely in isolation over an intense two-to-three-month period, Kagen immersed himself in the music, often continuing well into the early hours of the morning. He deliberately kept the recordings away from outside ears until the project was finished, allowing himself the freedom to experiment without the distraction of other people's expectations.

The result is a record that retains the intimacy of his earlier songwriting while exploring a broader and sometimes darker musical landscape. There are moments of gritty production, unexpected textures and arrangements that move from delicate acoustic passages into something far more expansive.

Songs such as ‘Do Better’ and ‘Don't Feel Right’ reveal that changing direction. The latter, in particular, introduces a restless, emotionally charged atmosphere, reflecting the album's exploration of love in its many forms, from connection and hope to uncertainty and disappointment.

It's an interesting development for an artist whose early appeal was built around the simplicity of a voice, a guitar and a story. Rather than abandoning those foundations, Kagen seems intent on discovering how far he can take them, allowing the production to become another part of the storytelling.

That balance between intimacy and scale should make his return to Australia particularly interesting. Kagen's music has always had a strong live element, with his guitar playing providing much of the movement and energy behind the songs. The newer material offers an opportunity to bring a wider range of sounds and emotions to the stage while retaining the connection with audiences that helped establish his career.

There's also something fitting about seeing Kagen return to the same country where he previously appeared as a supporting artist, this time stepping into headline venues with two albums behind him and a considerably larger audience.

His Newcastle appearance with Sam Barber adds another dimension to the visit, bringing together two American artists whose music draws from country and Americana traditions while finding their own ways of connecting with a younger generation of listeners.

For Kagen, the past couple of years have been filled with travel, recording and an expanding international career. From writing songs in a converted Airstream to making an album almost entirely on his own, he's shown a willingness to follow his instincts rather than settle into a predictable musical path.

And perhaps that's what makes his music worth spending time with. Beneath the increasingly ambitious arrangements and growing success is still a songwriter interested in the things that have always made a good song matter: people, relationships, the places we go and the experiences we carry with us.

Australia first met Jonah Kagen as an emerging artist sharing the stage with Sam Barber. When he returns next April, he'll be bringing a little more experience, a new collection of songs and another chapter of a story that's still unfolding.

Jonah Kagen's new album Eternity of Anything is out now through Sony Music.